Muret, Ciuis Romani Epistolae, Paris, Colombel, 1580, early seventeenth-century French morocco à la Du Seuil, the Sir Robert Horton copy

Muret, Marc Antoine. M. Antonii Mureti. i.c. ac Ciuis Romani Epistolae. Paris: Robert Colombel, 1580

[Bound with:] Muret. Orationes XXIII. [part 2:]. Aristotelis Ethicorum ad Nichomacum... M. Antonio Mureto interprete. [part 3:]. … Hymnorum sacrorum liber. Venice: Aldo II Manuzio, 1575

[Bound with:] Muret. Orationum volumen secundum. Verona: Girolamo Discepolo, 1590

[Bound with:] Muret. Hymnorvm sacrorvm liber, Eiusdem alia quaedam Poëmatia... His accesservnt: Actii Synceri Sannazarii neapolitani De Partv Virginis libri tres. Vna cvm eivsdem selectis quibusdam Poëmatibus longè elegantissimis. Quibus omnibus clarissimorum Heroum Maximiliani primi et caroli qvinti, eorundem[que] Belli Ducum Elogia adiuncta sunt. Ingolstadt: David Sartorius, 1584

Parts 2 and 3 of the 1575 edition, containing the Hymnorum and Poemata, were deliberately removed from the first volume and placed with another edition, bound in later, making the Sammelband a coherent collection, with the poetry coming after the orations.

Four works in one volume, 8vo (152 x 94 mm). (Epistolae) Roman type, 30 lines plus headline. collation: A⁶, B-N⁸: 99 leaves, foliated. (Orationes) Italic type, 28 lines plus headline. collation: (⁸ A-V⁸ a-c⁸ (lacking c7-8, Hymnorvm bound later in volume): 224 leaves. (Orationum volumen secundum) Italic type, 28 lines plus headline. collation: A⁴ A-S⁸: 148 leaves. (Hymnorvm) Roman and italic type. collation: ²A-D⁸; 32 leaves, foliated. Woodcut printers' devices, initials, and head- and tailpieces throughout. (Intermittent dampstaining, foxing, browning, underlining and marginal notations, title of Ethicorum trimmed.)

binding: Early seventeenth-century morocco "à la Du Seuil" (163 x 108 mm), possibly French, double gilt fillets around sides, gilt fleurons at outer corners, spine with gilt ruled raised bands in six compartments, second gilt-lettered, others richly gilt with central fleurons, edges speckled red and brown, marbled pastedowns. (Rubbing to joints.)

provenance: "P. Conduse (?)," early inscription on title-page of fourth work — "Foumier 8#," early inscription on front free endpaper — Sir Robert Horton (1939-2011), his sale, Bonhams, London, 12 November 2013, lot 141. acquisition: Purchased from Sokol Books Ltd, London, 2014. references: (Epistolae) Renouard 299/4; FB 80328; USTC 172385; (Orationes) UCLA 883; Renouard 219/11; Edit16 27526; USTC 843780; (Orationum volumen secundum) Edit16 32616; USTC 843793; (Hymnorvm) VD16 M 6833; USTC 674278